Tips from a pharmacist on medication education
Be aware of areas of noncompliance and address them
Best practice for educating patients on a new medication requires patience, says Kimberly Sasser Croley, PharmD, CGP, FASCP, FAphA, a clinical pharmacist for Laurel Senior Living Communities in London, KY. These communities include a nursing and rehabilitation home and two retirement and assisted living villages.
"You need direct feedback within the interchange to identify what the patient has understood and what information needs further clarification," she states.
Information must be given in a systematic manner with open-ended questions asked about each point to make sure the patient understood the information. Points covered would include a description of the medication, route of administration, dose, dosage form, and duration of drug therapy.
Some drugs require more in-depth education, says Sasser Croley, especially the "specialty drugs," such as the newer self-administered injectable pen devices or the dry powder inhalant devices.
Factors that trigger the need for more education could include:
Multiple steps to administration; manipulation of an administrative device, such as a pen or dry powder inhaler.
Drugs that require special administration instructions, such as "take first thing in the morning with no food or drink except plain water and then remain seated upright for at least 30 minutes when taking a bisphosphonate product."
Drugs with unusual storage or stability conditions, such as "insulin unopened and refrigerated is good until the date on the bottle, once opened, it may be stored at room temperature but only for 30 days."
Drugs that require the patient to perform self-monitoring, such as blood glucose monitoring and blood pressure monitoring.
Any drug that the patient has questions or concerns about taking.
Having knowledge of the patient's understanding of his or her health condition and health as a topic in general helps clinicians to deliver information at a level patients can better understand. That is why all clinicians involved in the patient's care should do their own individual health literacy assessment, says Sasser Croley.
"The patient may have a better understanding of certain aspects of their health care than of others. Medications often fall into the 'less understanding' category because of their complexity," she adds.
Avoiding common mistakes
There are several common mistakes made by clinicians when providing education to patients about their medications. Often, they use medical terminology rather than words the patient will understand. Many patients are intimidated by the delivery and will not admit they can't understand what they are being told.
The use of close-ended questions that require a yes or no answer rather than open-ended questions is another mistake. Answers to open-ended questions help a clinician know whether or not the patient has understood the information.
Talking too fast or too softly also prevents patients from grasping the information, and they may not want to ask to have the information repeated.
Never assume the patient already has basic knowledge of his or her health condition, advises Sasser Croley.
"Patients can come to you after being treated by another pharmacist for several years and still have little understanding about their health condition. This is the reason assessment of prior knowledge is so important when performing counseling," she says.
There are many ways a patient can be noncompliant. Often, they misunderstand how to take their medication. Sometimes, patients receive a prescription written and filled generically, and they have the brand name product at home so they take both medications.
A patient may take part or all of the prescribed drug, then when "feeling better," discontinue the drug without seeking medical advice. When patients lose their insurance coverage, they often believe they can't afford to continue their medications. Also, to save money they might take the right medications but take them every other day. All these issues can be addressed during education, says Sasser Croley.
The best way to help patients know and remember how to take their medication is to use a combination of oral reinforcement and print reminders, she says.
This is why patients leave a medication therapy management visit with the pharmacist with their personal medication record, which includes all pertinent information about their current medication regimen. They also are given a medication action plan, which includes actions they are to take, such as follow-up appointments, self-monitoring, or questions to ask their physician.
Oral and print communications complement one another, because a person retains around 95% of what they both hear and read, explains Sasser Croley.
SOURCE
For more information about medication education, contact:
Kimberly Sasser Croley, PharmD, CGP, FASCP, FAPhA, Clinical Pharmacist, Laurel Senior Living Communities including: Laurel Heights Nursing and Rehabilitation Home, Laurel Village Retirement and Assisted Living, Village Heights Retirement and Assisted Living, 208 West Twelfth St., London, KY 40741. Telephone: (606) 878-0761. E-mail: [email protected].
Best practice for educating patients on a new medication requires patience, says Kimberly Sasser Croley, PharmD, CGP, FASCP, FAphA, a clinical pharmacist for Laurel Senior Living Communities in London, KY. These communities include a nursing and rehabilitation home and two retirement and assisted living villages.You have reached your article limit for the month. Subscribe now to access this article plus other member-only content.
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